What an accomplishment indeed! Of course, that result did not take place in one year. It required over a decade of effort and perseverance to accomplish. It is certainly an indication of the passion and hard work that goes into education across the Eastern Shores.

It’s important to recognize our accomplishments. So, let’s celebrate. The recognition we received for last year is more than a provincial ranking. It is an indication that Eastern Shores School Board has created positive momentum in the success of learners. Let’s celebrate this positive momentum by ensuring that we keep it going!

So, here we go! While attending the Canadian Education Association conference on Dropping Out and Neuroscience, we learned about the powerful connection between exercise and learning (higher scolarity, higher income, higher life satisfaction, and so much more).

“Regular exercise has been linked with long term health benefits

Longer life

Lower incidence of disease

Decreased sedentarism

Increased emotional stabilityand happiness

Improved cognition

Greater academic performance

Improved social relationships and peer liking

Better behavioral control

Improved clinical outcomes in disorders like ADHD, depression, and anxiety”

That got us thinking about a way to incorporate physical fitness while connecting it to a cause (or purpose), meaningful to the students and communities of ESSB. Some of our guiding themes may be… Busy Body, Busy Mind: Community Connections and School Perseverance. We may need a brainstorming session to come up with a catchy slogan. Stay tuned for that.

Here are the 3 parts envisioned so far…

Part 1- Welcome to my Community

The Welcome to my Community project is part of a larger project which will involve a spring bike ride across the Eastern Shores territory. For now, we need students to identify important local community attractions, historical sites, or artifacts in their community. It could be anything that is significant to the community.

Local Art.

The history behind a street name, waterway, or beach.

a statue or monument.

a piece of architecture (House, Public Building, School)

the birthplace of an author.

anything of interest.

Students would research, write and record their production using recording software to create podcasts, which could include; Historical background, Significant dates, What it means to the community, etc.

The podcast would be converted into QR codes and these would be posted in the community so that visitors could listen to the podcast while standing at the site.

In June 2016, a cycling tour will take place across the Eastern Shores territory with stops in each of these communities. As cyclists arrive in your community, they will scan the QR codes and hear about your local attractions.

These descriptive podcasts will be informative and educational for visitors. They will also be a great source of pride for the students who created them, since they will serve to link the communities which make up our vast Eastern Shores territory.

So, we encourage you to get out in your communities, find Points of Interest, and share them with everyone.

Have a look at something similar created by EMSB students in Montreal.

Part 2- ESSB Fitness Challenge

Since the cyclists will ride for 5 days across close to 600 kilometers, we challenge all ESSB schools to do the equivalent of that distance in their schools during the months of February to June. Each school will have a log-book for tracking their activity. So, count up the distance you walk to school each day. Go out for a run at recess. Get out the cross country skis during your lunch break. The more people who participate, the easier it will be to accumulate those 600 kilometers!

And, of course….to celebrate our momentum for continued excellence in education.

The ride would involve a core group of student and teacher cyclists who would travel the entire distance (with everyone welcome to join along smaller portions of the ride). As we stop in each community, we need local students to show us around. Well, virtually show us around. Riders will scan QR codes strategically placed by local students, and enjoy the informative recordings.

More details will come for you to follow the progress of our ride, and with cross-curricular connections and activities for classrooms. We also hope to share a daily vlog during the bike ride in June. Stay tuned on Twitter @RECIT4ESSB

Hey… if you know people who would like to know more about this, please pass along the blog. We welcome your comments and ideas to make this event a huge success